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Hi everyone...
I haven't had animal protein (besides a few pieces of flounder here and there) for a couple of years now, due to my inability to digest it, but it has come time in my protocol to test it out again, to see if I've made any improvements in digestion. My body is also in a state where I need the amino acids for healing purposes. So today I went out and got myself 1/3 lb of Whole Food's free range ground turkey breast!
I'm starting to get nervous though, and have seconds thoughts. I started thinking about all of the things that turkeys could eat that I could possibly be sensitive to, like corn or gluten or other sorts of grains. I also started thinking about the processing methods, and if it could be contaminated with something I'm sensitive to in the grinding process.
So I'm wondering if anyone knows if ground turkey breast from Whole Foods is safe?
Specifically, if my sensitivities are:
Beef
Ham
Lobster
Shrimp
Gluten
Dairy
Oil
Corn
White Potatoes
Sugar
Thank you!

Hi everyone-
For those of you who are severely sensitive to corn, do you have a product list that you refer to? I went on Whole Foods and Trader Joe's website but they only have gluten free lists, not corn free lists. I find corn to be much more difficult than gluten because it hides in things that look completely harmless, like citric acid and even some fructose!
I've found it particularly hard to find an unsweetened milk that does not have corn. I've been drinking an unsweetened soy that only has "soybeans" listed as the ingredients, which is AWESOME, but I'm starting to have problems with soy. I really wanted a corn free almond milk, but I can't find any websites with product lists or suggestions that may help me to find one.
So I'd appreciate any advice or resources anyone has that may help with a corn free diet! Thanks!

Hey Everyone, I'm sorry I haven't been around lately, but I've been having a really rough time!
I've got a boatload of symptoms, but my very first and most severe symptom has been constipation.
While trying to detox metals, my GI tract has completely stopped. I don't think it's because I'm impacted (TMI alert) but the metals make my stool extremely sticky so it will not pass (sorry!). I've lost peristaltic action as well. So I'm extremely bloated, have a painful heavy feeling, but I don't feel like I can go.
I take crazy amounts of Vitamin C and Magnesium, and the magnesium usually helps, but now it's not. I've got a huge problem on my hands!
My wonderful ND suggested high, high doses of Senna and Cascara. She said to try the Senna tonight and add the Cascara tomorrow night. The bottle says to only take 1 at a time and to take it at most 3 times a day, but my ND told me to take 7 tonight. Has anyone used Senna (or Cascara) before, in high doses?
Has anyone else dealt with severe constipation while trying to detox metals? I'm concerned about reabsorption and complications.
Thanks so much, I'd appreciate any advice or input! Hope you all are well...
<3

Hey Rachel, so good to hear from you. I hope you're doing well! I have to catch up on the "OMG" thread...you all move so quickly over there, I can't keep up!
I don't have elevated ammonia, but I seem to react to all proteins except petrale sole. I'd eat it every day, but I'm worried about the heavy metal levels in fish.
I tried some chicken last night and reacted. Eggs are next on the list to try.
You only eat beef and peas, right? And your heart has done okay with that? Without any fats?
I'm just worried because I've been so restricted for 3 years, I'm starting to wonder how much of this is lyme and how much of this is malnutrition...and how much of this can be reversed.
Thank you for the suggestion! What is seacure made out of? I take amino acid supplements...is that the same thing?
Thank you so much for sharing your story and your experience with the SCD.
I believe that my gall bladder has shut down like you've described, but I'm not sure if it's from lack of use or lyme toxins. Unfortunately I think it's from both, quite an unfortunate mix. Is there any way to reverse the gall bladder issues? I've tried buplereum (an herb) but haven't been able to tolerate it well in the past. Now when I try fish oil supplements, I have gall bladder attacks. Even a tiny amount of oil tends to send it off.
What you said about the heart does worry me. This situation that I'm in freaks me out a bit, as you can probably tell. If I had a normal EKG though, a normal chest xray, and a normal echocardiogram (even though I wasnt having pain at the time), does that mean I'm okay and I still will be able to reverse this?
Thanks for all of your advice everyone.

Thanks you guys.
I do have heavy metals, but my doctor can't get me to dump them, no matter what he gives me. I do think you're right, it's because I don't have enough protein. I'm on amino acid supplements but I don't know how affective they are.
I am also not on a fatty acid supplement. I haven't been able to tolerate oil in over a year. My only source of fat is 1 cup of unsweetened organic soy milk.
I'm open to any and all suggestions. I wish there was a hospital that would take lyme/celiac/heavy metal patients, just to get them back on their feet! This can be kind of scary.

So lately I've been having some really disturbing symptoms that may or may not be related to my lyme disease. I've become extremely weak, and I've been having chest/left arm/shoulder blade/jaw pain that landed me in the ER, thinking I was having a heart attack. My doctor is having a hard time treating me right now because my body just doesn't seem to be strong enough to fight the bugs (whichever bugs may be irritating my system, that's a whole different question).
That's when it hit me. I think my body is starved of everything that it needs. I have a history of malabsorption, where when I was eating gluten and dairy and all of those fun allergens, I wasn't absorbing any food and my digestive system completely shut down. I could only go to the bathroom a couple times a month. Then as my doctor worked with me on parasites and things, my issues changed to diarrhea. I've alternated back and forth ever since. At my worst, I dropped to 83 pounds at 5'6. I'm now up to 104, but I'm still underweight.
But for the past 3 years, while trying to clean the bugs out of my gut and my body so I can absorb again, I've been following an extremely limited diet. For the past 8 months, I've been eating the same thing every day. My bowels won't move if I don't. My diet is fat free, vegan, gluten free, sugar free and free of other things here and there that have been known to stop me up. I take digestive enzymes, probiotics, and supplements to help, but the issue seems to be bigger than that.
I'm just wondering how many of my symptoms have more to do with lack of nutrients than anything else. It scares me, while I'm having such alarming symptoms, to think that perhaps my diet could be affecting all of the organs in my body. Especially my heart.
I posted this here just so I could perhaps pick some of your brains. I know many of you have experienced issues with regulating your diet, getting the nutrients you need, malabsorption, deficiencies, and all sorts of issues of the sort. I'm just wondering how you all resolved the issue, if you were able to overcome it, and who and what helped.
Thanks so much everyone! Hope you all are well <3

Hey everyone,
For about 5 days now I've been having really intense chest pain, left arm pain, left shoulder blade pain and occasional pain on the left side of my jaw. Of course, these are symptoms of a heart attack so I went to the ER the second night of this excruciating pain...but my chest xray and EKG were normal.
Along with this I've also had extreme nausea and weakness, with occasional dizziness. Basically, I'm couch-ridden. Everything gets worse when I move around. So I'm just chillin
But anyways, my doctor took me off of all my supplements when this happened, but now im slowly adding things back in . I've noticed though that after taking my sublingual B12, my pain and nausea get a little better for a little while.
I'm wondering, does that indicate that the problem is with the heart, or when the brain (neuropathy?)? I know you all aren't doctors, but I thought I'd ask because I know a lot of you guys have experience with B12 issues and deficiencies.
Thanks everyone, I appreciate your input! When it's the heart that may be causing symptoms, things can be a little freaky!
Hope you are all well!

Wow Rachel, there's SO much that I wanted to post (I like to make long posts, like you do ) about your appointment, but my brain is SO foggy today that I can barely type it all out. I just wanted to say that I'm SO glad that you're really making some headway with Dr. P....and it's really quite eerie how alike we are and how similar our protocols and issues may be. I'll be tuning in to see how things go!!!
Okay, I'm off to go try to make myself my nightly dinner....pray that I don't burn the house down! Really, I shouldn't joke about these things....

I'm so sorry Sherry, I missed your post! Thank you for responding. I wish I could do "ecoffee", in theory it'd be perfect! But like Rachel, I don't seem to do well with it. I'm really glad that you've found it to be helpful though! It's always great when you can find one or two things that you can really rely on to help.
I'm really relieved to hear that you believe epsom salt baths help! Do you think they actually draw out metals? I'm no longer able to lay in the bath tub because I blacked out last time (my blood pressure dipped too low), but I make really hot epsom salt and baking soda foot baths, and soak my feet in them for a really long time every night. I hope that's working for me! I use the same amount of baking soda and epsom salt that I'd use in the whole bath tub, so it's really concentrated in my little foot bath.
Hmm...I'm really curious about zeolite now. I've heard that charcoals and clays can be really constipating, do you think zeolite is similar in that sense?
Oh I'm excited to hear about how things go then on Wednesday! I've gone to him numerous times now with test results that show that I don't test well for anything. He'll have some ideas. Dr. T definitely believes that "less is more", but Dr. P tends to push a little harder. He'll definitely understand though if you don't feel comfortable with something, or if you want to go slower.
I haven't had any genetic testing done. Have you? Does Dr. P do that? He's never brought it up with me. He's done a ton of amino acid based tests to check my methylation, with a few other tests for things like metals, immune function, adrenal function, lyme, and things of that sort. In your opinion, do you think genetic testing is helpful?

Thanks for replying Rachel....I just can't believe how much we're alike!!! I don't handle coffee enemas well, or enemas in general really. I'll spare you all the details of what happens after coffee enemas (lol), but regular enemas don't seem to work either because my problem seems to be "higher up". A colonic would probably be ideal, but I'm too weak for that at the moment.
Unfortunately I have been tested for charcoal and clay, and both tested poorly (see? SO much alike Rachel...we react to everything and test poorly for *almost* everything lol). I'm thinking of bringing up zeolite and chlorella next time I see Dr. T. Unfortunately I couldn't get in to see her until the beginning of December though
Do you see her, or Dr. P again soon?
Six!!!!!!!!!
I miss you!!!!!!!
But I'm SO excited to hear that things are going well. I think your name comes up almost every night in chat (and boy do we miss you there!). We all can't wait for your updates! I really can't reiterate how happy I am to hear though that your updates are positive.
Isn't that wild about Rachel and I seeing the same doctors???? She JUST switched to my doctors and had the same testing done that I had done...I was hoping that you'd catch the posts where I finally stopped being such a lurker and came out and told her about my own experience and my own results. lol. I knew you'd appreciate and understand the type of testing we were talking about. It's right up your alley!
I also talked to Kass for a bit, another person I have a lot in common with So thanks for introducing me to everyone!
I hope all is continuing to go well.... <3

Hi you guys,
From my first impression it seemed like you guys know a lot about detox...so I thought that you all might be good people to go to when I need some advice in that whole realm...
Since my methylation seems to have improved a *tiny* bit and I *might* be excreting metals, I'm worried about my digestive system, and how much it's not excreting. My very first symptom (ever since I was a child actually) was epically slow motility. On most days, I have absolutely no motility. Dr. P has gotten this to improve some, but it's nowhere near normal. When I do go, it's D so impaction isn't the problem...my intestines just aren't strong enough to carry out it's duty. I don't know if it's the nerves or what....but anyways...
I'm worried that all of the metals are being dumped into my digestive system, sitting there, then getting reabsorbed. I noticed about a week ago when I actually had 4 good days in a row (this is when my methylation was apparently working better, when I wasn't in my monthly herx) that I had a good bowel movement in size one day, and it was extremely extremely sticky. I thought that could be metals. But I haven't noticed anything since, especially now that my monthly herx began. I have a sneaky suspicion that I stopped methylating as well...
But ANYWAYS...my question is, should I be worried about the metals being reabsorbed? I'm going a little every day, but is that enough? How much is enough? I'm having a lot of GI pain as usual, but I wasn't when my methylation was better during those 4 days before this herx...
I was also wondering if the kidneys and bladder excrete metals, could I be dumping metals from that whole system? I'm really hoping that's the case, and that I'm peeing out metals rather than trying to excrete them by other means!
Okay anyways, that's enough rambling about gross bodily functions...
I'd appreciate any advice that you guys have Thanks so much!

I'm really not quite sure, I believe it's something that you'd have to get from your doctor, or an ND.
Everyone is so different though, so something that could help one person could do absolutely nothing for another, even if the two people have the same infection! I think an understanding of that is what's lacking in conventional Western medicine. Conventional doctors think that everyone with a specific "disease" or "syndrome" have the same symptoms, and if you stray from that, then you don't have it. They also seem to think that certain pills work for certain conditions, which may not be the same in every person's case. Every body differs drastically from the next, so we all require different things. That's why I value these doctors that Rachel and I have found, because they can actually create a protocol that is completely unique to you and what your body needs. I know I've said this, but I really wish that all of you guys, and anyone out there who's struggling with their health, had access to these sorts of doctors! I think all medicine should be this tailored and specific. Then people would actually get better, and the word "chronic" could disappear!

Hi everyone...I just finally introduced myself on the "OMG" thread (after being a serious lurker!), and I thought I'd introduce myself here too. I haven't read any of the posts in here, and I feel as though I can't right now (lyme brain at the moment), but I look forward to chatting with you other lymies. Can't wait to hear about all of your experiences and the sorts of things you've found through research and trial and error. Hope you're all doing well!

I can't have fat, so my suggestions are relatively low fat...BUT I know how to easily fatten em up!
I crave something creamy every day, which is why I eat Bob Redmill's Creamy Brown Rice Farina every morning. You could easily fatten that up by cooking it with coconut milk or coconut oil.
I also have a creamy baked yellow sweet potato every night (not to be confused with a stringy orange yam!). You could fatten that up (and make it even creamier) with some soy butter!
Hope that helps

Hi Everyone!
I've been lurking for quite some time now, but it's definitely time for me to post! Rachel, your new team is actually MY team! lol! I've been working with those doctors for two years now, and I am SO happy that you've found them because I think that they are the most brilliant people that I've ever met in my life. I know they can help you!
Dr. T has been a lifesaver for me, and I believe that Dr. P is the only person that will be able to "fix" me. I have a ton of issues, and Dr. T and Dr. P have worked as a team now to peel away the layers. I'm like an onion Unfortunately though, I think I'm one of the toughest onions they've dealt with in a while. That's not exactly something I'm proud of. I feel terrible for them, because they really keep hitting these walls with me. I do believe though, 100%, that they will help me to regain my health.
I was so excited to see your results from your appointment with Dr. T, and even more excited to see you talk about the methylation cycle. After two years of work with these doctors, I FINALLY started to methylate a little last week. Dr. P couldn't figure out why the heck he couldn't push my pathways open...but we finally think we might have hit an answer. He started me on a couple of different antivirals, along with my other 30 supplements (lol!) and things started to change a bit. He thinks once I get back on antibiotics I'll do even better because the lyme could have it locked as well.
I'm not on antibiotics though right now because I became so ill when he put me on them that we had to stop and have an emergency appointment with Dr. T. Dr. P was shocked when she found:
Mycoplasma 600x
B12 1,000x
Among many other fun things and high numbers. The secretary in the office hadn't even heard of such high numbers before. That really scared me. 600?!?!?! The highest I had ever gotten before was a 12!!! I honestly thought I was going to die. I was so ill.
He got my mycoplasma number down to a 9 by the next time I saw her though! He really is brilliant
Okay, I could honestly talk about this ALL day...I'm just so excited to see someone else talking about it. So I hope to continue conversation here, if that's okay with you guys I think a lot of my family and friends think I'm crazy, with my 1058395835 supplements and 201483895983 food sensitivities, and all of this energetic testing. But it's really, really exciting for me to see that there are people out there that I can completely relate to, and really get it!
I hope that these two doctors are the answer for you....I believe that they can really help you!!! I wish you nothing but the best

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Celiac.com was founded in 1995 by Scott Adams, author of Cereal Killers, founder and publisher of Journal of Gluten Sensitivity, and founder of The Gluten-Free Mall, who had a single goal for the site: To help as many people as possible with celiac disease get diagnosed and living a happy, healthy gluten-free life!